The War Memorial of Korea (Outside)

I thought that a good site to visit toward the beginning of my tour in Korea would be The War Memorial of Korea right off post in Yongsan-gu. It is more than just a memorial but a very well-done museum with most signs and descriptions in Korean, English, Japanese and Chinese. What really struck me about the memorial and museum is how they honored not just their own Service Members who served and died but also -to the extreme- those from other countries who came to Korea to help preserve their freedom from Communist rule.

The museum features exhibits and artifacts from the earliest Korean history all the way through their involvement in Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. Here are a few pictures from my visit, but there was way too much to see to preserve on film (or digits)! To keep the post from being too long, I’ll divide it up into outside and inside pictures.

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“The Statue of Brothers…is a symbol of the Korean War…The upper part of the statute depicts a dramatic moment when a South Korean officer and his younger brother, a North Korean Soldier, encounter and embrace each other at the battlefield. The statue expresses reconciliation, love, and forgiveness…The crack in the dome stands for the division of Korea and the hope for reunification.”Another view of The Statue of Brothers“Objects inside the dome [of The Statue of Brothers] include a mosaic wall painting that expresses the spirit of the Korean people to overcome the national tragedy and a map plate of the 16 UN Allied Nations that dispatched troops to the war. Links of iron chain on the ceiling signify the unbreakable bonds of a united Korea.”Inside the dome, the plaque on the floor showing the U.S. forces that participated in the Korean War.

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The Tower of Korean War. “Symbolizing the image of a bronze sword and a tree of life. The bronze sword represents the time-honored history and the warrior spirit. The tree of life symbolizes the prosperity and peace of the Korean people.”A closer view of the Tower of Korean War

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Statues Defending the Fatherland: “The statues represent 38 people from all walks of life who overcame the Korean War and depict the suffering and pain caused by the war while embodying the sublime spirit of sacrifice and dedication to the defense of the fatherland of past patriots.”Statues Defending the FatherlandStatues Defending the Fatherland

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“The Monument of King Gwanggaeto the Great (391~413) was built by his son King Jangsu (413~491) in 414 B.C. in commemoration of his father. ” (This is a life-size replica of the original monument currently located in China.)

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“Erecting the Clock Tower: Symbolizing War and Peace, a Twin Clock Tower Points to a new time of New Millennium on a pile of rusty arms. Stopped clock wrecked by the Korean War. Here a Clock Tower is erected for the day of reunification, again beating like the hearts of two girls.”“The Clock of Hope for Peaceful Reunification: Someday when Unification is realized this Clock will be put on the Clock Tower and will indicate the time of Unification.”

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This picture shows a sampling of the many military aircraft used in Korea’s history on display outside of the museum……and the tanks and artillery……and lots of other military equipment!

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Referring to the boat on the left, “The PKM-357 National Security Exhibition Pavilion pays tribute to the six heroes of PKM-357 who have died with honor. The 2nd Sea battle of Yeonpyeong (29, June 2002) while fighting the enemy in order to safeguard the country’s waters and contribute to promoting the national security awareness of the people with the importance of defending the NLL.”This is a 1:1 scale reproduction of the PKM-357. The original “is exhibited at the park of the Second Fleet Command, ROK Navy.”